Fire-escape



No Model.)

N. J. POWELL.

FIRE ESCAPE.

No. 287,467. Patented Oct. 30, 1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT -0FFIE NEW'MAN J. POWELL, OF PONTIAC, ILLINOIS.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 287,467, dated October 30, 1883.

Application filed March 10, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NEWMAN J. POWELL, of Pontiac, of the county of Livingston and State of lllinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it belongs to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsin which Figure 1 is a front view of my device, and Fig. 2 a detail view-and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention has for its. object to furnish means of escape from the windows of buildings.

In the drawings, the upper end of the wire ropes a a are attached to the building, and when wanted to be used the lower ends of said wires are attached to the shaft 1), as shown in drawings, and by pulling down on the ropes 0 c, that shall have been wound upon the drums d d, the Windlass is made to ascend, and by slackening said ropes it is allowed to descend. The short ropes or webs e e are made into a slip-noose at each end. One end is looped around the shaft, the other around the body of the person wishing to descend. The end which is around the shaft, when put on as shown in drawings, serves as an automatic brake, and is made more effective by rings or balls 6, of iron, having been clinched around that part of the rope'or web that encircles said shaft, as shown in drawings.

In fire-escapes it is desirable to provide a device which will be efficient, and at the same time may be stored away out of the way when not in use. This I secure by the device above described. When not in use it may be set up in a corner or rolled under a bed, and can be readily adjusted when desired for use; The

I am aware that it is not new to employ a revolving shaft-carrier having ropes wound thereon in opposite directions, and that such a shaft is shown in patent to one Horne, No. 56,417, July 17, 1866, and I do not broadly claim anything shown or described in the said patent; but, Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The fire-escape, substantially as described and shown, composed of the shaft Z), the ropes a, wound thereon and supporting the said shaft,

the rope c,wound 011 the said shaft in opposite directions from rope a and hanging down from the shaft, the slings e, adapted at their lower ends to support the escaping person, and looped at their upper ends around the shaft 1), and metallic balls or rings 6, secured on that portion of the slings e which is looped around the shaft 1), and serving as a brake and to prevent the frictional damage and wear on the sling, substantially as described and shown, and for the purposes s pecified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NEWMAN J. POWELL.

W'itnesses:

WM. J. CULLoM, PHILIP ARMAN. 

